Madonna Being Sued for Gay Rights Speech in Russia

Madonna‘s recent gay rights speech in St. Petersburg, Russia has offended a group of Russian activists so much that they are now suing the pop star for millions.

On Friday, nine activists filed a lawsuit on against Madonna, the concert organizers and the venue, asking for damages totaling 333 million rubles, which amounts to nearly $10.5 million, the Associated Press reports.

In February, a law was passed in St. Petersburg that makes it illegal to promote homosexuality to minors. Children as young as 12 years old were reportedly in attendance at Madonna’s Aug. 9 concert, where she said: “The gay community here, and all around the world, have the same rights, to be treated with dignity, with respect, with tolerance, with compassion, with love.”

The plaintiffs in the case have been criticized for their old-fashioned thinking, to which their lawyer, Alexander Pochuyev rebutted with: “No one is burning anyone at the stake or carrying out an Inquisition,” he said, according to RIA Novosti. “Modern civilization requires tolerance and respect for different values.”

Madonna isn’t exactly on Russia’s list of favorite people right now. The 53-year-old star has also angered conservative Russians with her support for the punk band Pussy Riot, who were sentenced two years in prison on Friday for a March performance against Vladimir Putin in a Russian Orthodox cathedral.